Best Cities in U.S. for Multipitch/Trad

Actually, Colorado is an awful place and all the climbing here sucks. don't move here and , if you already live here, don't climb here-move somewhere else.

LOL- Obviously untrue but the climbing here has changed in the last 20 yrs. Expect crowds most anywhere you go & lines to get on classic trad routes....

If you want a really smaller town- Lyons, Estes Park or Golden or any of the mountain towns-Idaho Springs, Georgetown or resort towns (pricey)

Rich Farnham wrote: What do you do [in Vegas] in the summer? Don't you get crazy temps, like 110+? I realize you can get up to some higher crags, but isn't that heat debilitating to live in? The "Oh, but it's a dry heat..." thing only goes so far.

The summer climbing in Vegas is pretty good; driving up to Mt. Charleston provides a remarkable change of conditions from the city. It is 30 degrees cooler, with good afternoon shade and usually breezy conditions. If it is 110 in town, Charleston is still tolerable. At 100 in town, Charleston is really nice. At 90 in town, you'll want a jacket at Charleston. The climbing is pretty much exclusively bolted limestone, and skews toward hard sport climbing, but there is a growing selection of more moderate climbs and numerous bolted multipitch. And yes, it is pretty darn manufactured, but it is what it is, so you just get over that part. If multipitch trad is you main interest, Red Rocks/Zion/etc in Fall/Winter/Spring will be your prime season, and it is a long (9-month) season at that, so summer limestone sport climbing can actually be a good way to mix it up and build up some power. Also, the Easter Sierra is pretty accessible as a long weekend, so that is another great summer escape. But being in town in the summer blows. You generally try to avoid going outside during the day.

Are North Conway and New Paltz too small? The job market is more challenging than Vegas or the Front Range I would guess, but you can't beat access to some really great multipitch trad climbing.

How bout North America? Vancouver. Squamish is only an hour up the road!

If it's gotta be in the states.. Burlington.

I've lived in SoCal, NorCal, Arizona, and now my second time living in Vegas. Can't beat the climbing at red rocks. It's epic and I do it all year! Not hard to find great routes that are in the shade all day. Stay in shape, hydrate, and the heat on the approach won't beat you down too bad. Get an early start and leave when the suns going down. So many amazing routes.

Asheville

Grand Junction, CO. Unaweep and the Monument are in the backyard and if you really want to get your trad on, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is just an hour away. Castleton Valley is not very far either.

Brevard/Asheville, NC. Linville gorge, cedar rock, looking glass, rumbling bald, laurel knob, whitesides, etc.

Mike Hasse wrote:Are North Conway and New Paltz too small? The job market is more challenging than Vegas or the Front Range I would guess, but you can't beat access to some really great multipitch trad climbing.

As much as I love the NE I keep checking this thread and racking my brain about good towns with a lot of access. But it's hard to beat proximity to certain cities out west. It's like all the rocks trends in this arc down from Maine, southwest to the Daks and then down the thruway to New Paltz. It seems like Burlington would be the most central to all that rock.

But now that I'm thinking about it, I've heard a lot of good things about the rock in Quebec...

splitclimber wrote:since you didn't say anything about the quality of the city but just <2 hours from climbing, for California I'll throw out Sacramento or Reno (Tahoe) and Fresno/Merced (Yosemite).

This is a stipulation I failed to mention: it should definitely be a cool city. Living in Chattanooga now is awesome-- great small-town vibe, vicinity to climbing, etc., but there are no big walls, which is what I'm interested in learning right now. I want to be able to day trip to some good multipitch-- maybe that's too much to ask? Thankfully I have two high-quality trad crags in my back yard-- the Tennessee Wall and Sunset Rock, which are excellent training grounds...

I don't think Vegas is what I'm looking for. I spent some time there a few years ago and climbed at Mt. Charleston (didn't make it to Red Rocks due to the heat). But maybe I should give it another chance?

I really appreciate everyone's input.. I'm taking the information provided seriously, as I'm anticipating a relocation in the next year or so.

Looks like I have some road trips to plan before making the move! Can't wait!!

Climbing in the PNW is horrible. Move to Boulder.

JCM wrote: The summer climbing in Vegas is pretty good...

JCM - Thanks for the thorough reply! I had a friend that lived there many years ago, and the nowhereville suburbia, combined with casino glitz, left a really bad taste in my mouth. But the thought of year-round climbing, and easy access to Red Rocks, Zion and the Sierra made me curious.

If you are talking a 2 hour radius and aren't opposed to the Northeast and perhaps also enjoy ice climbing, then lots of options in the Northeast.

From say Albany (or anywhere in the Capital Region, which is a top 30 US metro area) you are well under 2 hours to either the Gunks or the Dacks. And Cannon is 3-4, North Conway 4-5.

I live dead center between Keene Valley and Gardiner (the Gunks) 1h30m south or 1:15 north. The climbing in both areas, is very different. There is plenty of closer rock north (Southern Adirondacks, Lake George, etc) some being multipitch, but generally only 2-3 pitches. and also plenty of closer ice south (Catskills, where I often prefer to ice climb).

Also, Albany International (2 flights a day to canada, hence the international, but not really) is among the cheaper airports in the US to fly out of. Both Southwest and soon JetBlue fly out of here.

All that said, don't come here, I was just throwing out some east coast love. I'm all for SLC.

Bill Kirby wrote: How bout North America? Vancouver. Squamish is only an hour up the road! If it's gotta be in the states.. Burlington.

Burlington would actually fit the bill. It's a "cool" city. Trendy and all that stuff I hate (although I do like burlington, because it's got nice views of the Adirondacks). Some people call it the Boulder of the east.

I suppose Saratoga Springs could be considered a cool mini city. Upscale, pedestrian friendly, etc.

Oakhurst, CA is pretty freaking small, but 1 hour to Yosemite valley is hard to beat.

Like most MP threads, this one has a lot of scattered advice, some good, some bad. I'm better-traveled than most at this point, and have experience with most of the towns mentioned, either from visiting or having lived there. Here's a brief commentary of various towns, in no particular order:

Boulder: It's the cliched response for a reason: it fits the OP's interests exactly. It's a small city with a lot going on, and the access to multipitch trad climbing-year round- is excellent and very convenient. The scene and the culture aren't for everyone, but if you embrace the quirks you just may love it there. If the Boulder scene gets you down, check out Fort Collins and/or Golden, which offer great climbing access and a mellower vibe.

Grand Junction: Incredible climbing access: Desert Towers, the Black, Colorado NM, Unaweep, etc. Not a "cool" town, though. Kind of a hick backwater.

Salt Lake City: Great climbing access, fantabulous skiing, and a good outdoors community. There is, of course, that other aspect to local culture...but it isn't as bad as you'd think. In many ways, I think that the conservative religous Mormon culture accentuates the secular outdoorsy culture in an interesting way, by giving it a counterculture feel. A town worth checking out...but be warned about the air quality

Burlington: Great, super cool town. Vermont is a special place Climbing access from Burlington isn't that close, though. NH climbing is great, but a bit of a drive. ADKs are amazing, but the ferry to get there is expensive and slow. Local rock in Vermont isn't anything to write home about (the ice is a different story). Overall, the climbing in Burlington would be a significant downgrade from Chatt. Still, check it out if a cool town is a higher priority than great climbing.

Flagstaff: Great town, great climbing. The rocks are mostly short, though. There are some multipitch cliffs in the region, but the bouldering and the single pitch cracks are what set Flagstaff apart.

Bend: Again, rad town, rad climbing, but not quite the climbing style ye seek. Single pitch sport and cracks rule the area; multipitch is relatively limited. Portland is also awesome, but is a lot farther from the climbing.

Las Vegas: An amazing place to be a rock climber, and a terrible place to be a human being.

Tucson, Reno, Albuquerque, Boise: These all offer decent to great climbing access, but all are kind of dumpy western cities. Sorry, but true. Reno just kind of makes me sad when I go there. And the climbing access in each place, which decent, isn't worth moving to some dumpy city for. If you want to live in a mediocre town, go to GJ, since at least the climbing there makes the town worth it.

Asheville: Probably suits what you are looking for perfectly. Not too far of a move, either.

Albany: Don't make me laugh.

Seattle: Amazing city, but a bit bigger than you may like. Good climbing access, especially for a city of its size, although the weather can be challenging for much of the year.

SF/LA: Awesome cities, but overwhelmingly large. The climbing is amazing, and often also overwhelmingly large (in this case, that is good). Unfortunately, the drive distances to get from the city to the climbing are, again, overwhelmingly large.

CA Central Valley (Here's looking at you, Fresno): Closer to Yosemite, but, well, wack city. youtube.com/watch?v=IsZNZJE…

Lastly, I should note that what the OP is looking for might be best served by going a bit smaller, and looking at cool little mountain towns instead of small cities...if the little towns are tolerable from an economic, social, and cultural perspective. Carbondale (CO), Truckee (CA), New Paltz (NY), Lake Placid (NY), Estes Park (CO), Leavenworth (WA...bring lederhosen), Ouray/Ridgway (CO), Moab (UT), and Bishop/Mammoth (CA) are all worth considering. Good luck finding employment, though, unless you are a nurse or programmer.

JCM wrote: Grand Junction: Incredible climbing access: Desert Towers, the Black, Colorado NM, Unaweep, etc. Not a "cool" town, though. Kind of a hick backwater.

That's what makes it so cool.

JCM wrote: Ouray/Ridgway (CO)

Not exactly a multi-pitch trad climbing mecca, plus a far cry from being cool. If you want cool, move to Telluride. It's a giant city squeezed into a tiny box canyon pretending to be a small mountain town - with all the elements of "cool" like over-priced little hole-in-the-wall cafes with chalkboard menus, exorbitant rent prices and rampant bike theft.

Not mentioned anywhere in this thread, but Gunnison/Crested Butte have awesome year-round climbing access. You have to get used to long and very very cold winters though. I don't think highs in the winter hit above teens/low twenties.

And yet, Albany, "don't make you laugh" has employment, and access. It's also not expensive. And when I say Albany, I'm referring to the greater capital region. Which, to me, includes Glens Falls to Hudson. Putting you within an hour of the Gunks or an hour of Keene Valley without having to pigeon hole yourself into being a programmer or a nurse.

Not sexy, but sadly, does fulfill the criteria. Call me pragmatic.

I lived in the Albany area for two years and thought it was a great location, and this was before the development of the Southern Adirondacks that puts climbing even closer to Albany. And when the Dacks get cold and wet you can easily head for one of the prettiest places with great climbing The Shawangunk Ridge.

And the award for post of the week goes to...

JCM wrote:Like most MP threads, this one has a lot of scattered advice, some good, some bad...

No sarcasm. That was a great post! You summed up the pros and cons for each nicely, with a few great punchlines mixed in! Having lived in or visited a number of these cities I think you nailed it. Rachel, this will give you all you need to know to make your decision.

I loved the descriptions of Vegas and Junction!

And the runner-up for post of the day goes to...

doligo wrote:...Telluride. It's a giant city squeezed into a tiny box canyon pretending to be a small mountain town - with all the elements of "cool" like over-priced little hole-in-the-wall cafes with chalkboard menus, exorbitant rent prices and rampant bike theft.

Hilarious!